Thank you Vladimir Putin! Today, you and your Russia are the restraint between possible future of peace and humanity and global fascism. Long Live the heroes of the WII; Long Live heroes of the Eastern Front; Long Live the Red Army. Shame on those who supported tacitly or open the shameful historical state vandalism of this monument to the heroes who defended Georgia against the forces of the Third Reich.

Excellent! Russia has to take over in the preservence of moral values and the memory of Georgians in WWII. The west is in free fall in these areas, with Georgia under their management in free fall too. NATzO is expanding eastward for more space, their role models tried with brute force, NATzO do it by buying the leader, the good old capitalist way. Any surpise some NATO members didn't vote for the UN resolution to condemn glofification of Nazism, any surprise the US voted against. Secret prisons, illegal invasions, torture rape, all for your own good of course, fine words and evil deeds, the western way. But Russia, will take up the moral mantle. It always has to sort things out when the West has played enough and needs the Bear to sort out the mess it has made.

There is a new narrative being crafted in the West. The new version of WWII. In this new version, Hitler was racist because he killed Jews. Other Nazi battles are becoming "more nuanced". The deliberate killing of Slavs has been already erased from history books. In fact, the subject of extermination of Slavic, and particularly orthodox Christians has never been fully dealt with. And now, it never will. With the extermination of Serbs from Croatia, which was but a mere continuation of WWII project, I fear that some exterminations will soon be declared unfortunate collateral damage. In fact, the good part of the war on the Eastern Front will soon become even more opaque, as it will be put in the context of a grand Nazi-Communist struggle. The "civilized" West will wash hands of this battle, and leave Russia to defend Stalin's era. We are seeing this already all over the place. Baltic states are leading the new narrative brigades, with "Stalin made us love Nazis" mantra. In Croatia, youth that was born after the Yugoslav wars of secession, are enamored with Nazi nostalgia, and Serbs are with the permission of the West, reduced to a fraction of their prewar population. In Poland, we have seen the new narrative redefine the Hitler-Stalin pact, while in Ukraine, its western populace is free to feel justified for alliance with the Hitler's "West" and not the "barbaric" East. Georgia is "breaking away" from its anti-Nazi past. All of these, and many, many more --- are planted and nurtured by the language that redefines the world anew. The new West is embracing WWII Germany, with a tacit understanding of Nazism, for as long as it was anti-communist. The only morally clear line is maintained on the extermination of European Jews. Russia may get many countries to support its resolution on condemning neonazism. But it is clear what happened. The US voted no, and the EU "abstained". Russia is isolated in defending WWII sacrifices in Europe.

Tbilisi's Vake park has a huge hillside monument with a cascading waterfall dedicated to the Georgians who died during WW II. The graveyard across the street has numerous tombstones exquisitely carved with old veterans replete with their uniforms and medals. There isn't a city, town or village in Georgia that doesn't have monuments to commemorating the fallen sons and daughter of Georgia. If Saakashvili wants to erase the memory of Georgian participation in the USSR's war against German invaders by destroying monuments, he will need to stay in power until he dies of old age. Regardless, Putin should not rebuild in Russia anything that Saakashvili destroys in Georgia. Let the destruction remain the shame of the Georgian people.

It seems odd the Georgians would destroy a piece of their own history just to make a political point. This has nothing to do with western values, however-- they just don't seem to like you guys in Russia very much. That said, very strange behavior on their part.

For those who think that the destruction of the Glory momument is not a big deal, suppose that the memorial was built to remember the Jewish victims of Nazi persecution rather than Soviet Georgian war dead. Does anyone believe that the West or human rights groups would have remained silent?

It is amazing how animated Russians and their leaders get over slabs of rock. Russia’s reaction to Estonia’s 2007 relocation (not even destruction, but relocation) of a Stalinist statue from a downtown park to a dignified military cemetery a few kilometers away exceeded all expectations of normal behavior, and could be fairly described as a national tantrum. And now the Georgian incident – though curiously, Georgia’s outright destruction of their monument has elicited a significantly lesser reaction than Estonia’s relocation of its. Many of Russia’s neighbors would be absolutely delighted if Russia showed even a fraction of the concern and consideration for the thousands upon thousands upon thousands of innocent civilian lives whom its Soviet-era operatives crushed into the ground under Stalin’s orders as it does for Stalin-era statues. But here we meet a deep dichotomy in Russian thinking: Soviet heroics in neighboring countries are Russian heroics, and fully worthy to be embraced. But Soviet crimes against humanity in neighboring countries have nothing whatever to do with Russia, and are only to be ignored. For Russia, Soviet history seems to be very similar to shopping at a supermarket – a little of this, some of that, but none of the other, thank you. Perhaps Moscow has noticed, this kind of approach does not endear Russia to its neighbors.

No they aren't 'slabs of rock', they are monuments, consecrated by human memory, and cherished the world over in civilised countries. When you treat them as slabs of rock, then you show you are uncivilised, you show what a low level you truly are at. Estonia is at such a low level, Georgia as well, that is why they desecate war memorials. The more worrying aspect is however the US and the EU; no matter what you say, how they vote, is their deeds, and they have shown to the world their deeds at the UN! I wonder how they would react to people desecrating Arlington. the Cenotaph....? That would be just as disgraceful!

If CountCash slowed down a little bit and took a deep breath, he may give himself a chance to grasp that Estonia has destroyed zero – count them, CC, zero – Soviet war memorials. It has relocated one from a not very dignified small downtown park to a solemn and respectful military cemetery, a few kilometers away. Everyone who has seen both locations – myself included – agree that the monument is now in much more dignified place. In fact, I haven’t heard of any criticism of the new location by Estonia’s Russian community, either. But CountCash, with his head full of preconceived mistaken ideas, harrumphs away as if it was the last day. I must disagree on another matter with CC, when he describes the nature of monuments. “Lumps of rock” and facilitators of memory are not mutually exclusive things -- monuments are not “lumps of rock” or “aids to memory”. They are lumps of rock AND aids to memory. And what is more important than memorials by far are human beings, who embody the memory. Memory of Soviet abuses against them will continue to traumatize Russia’s neighbors until the day they die; however, Russia continues to ignore this as if the people themselves were lumps of rock. And while CC continues to pontificate to us about the uncivilized barbarity of monument destroyers, I have a question to ask him: When the Red Army occupied Estonia in 1940, it set about systematically destroying all of Estonia’s monuments to the fallen of its 1918-1920 War of Liberation against Germany and Russia. Those that it missed, it destroyed after 1946, when Soviet occupation was re-established. CountCash – did Stalin’s Red Army also “show they are uncivilized” and “show a low level they truly were” – to use your own words? Awaiting your answer.

Marzipan6, I disagree with your comment that the Glory Monument was "slabs of rocks". It was a monument dedicated to the sacrifice of the Georgian people during WW II where 300,000 Georgians gave their lives and more than a million were wounded. This monument was an emotional confirmation to the surviving veterans that the nation of Georgia held them in honor. Each day more and more of these veterans are passing from this earth. When I lived in Tbilisi, I would walk in Vake park and often saw elderly sit at the foot of the massive hillside monument. I didn't know who they were, but I assumed they were veterans because some of them wore their veteran medals. They just sat there in silence. To these veterans the monument on the hillside is not a slab of rock - nor was the Glory Monument in Kutaisi slabs of rocks. Each May 9 Victory Day celebration, veterans would gather at the Vake and Kutaisi monuments to discuss the glory days gone by and remember their departed friends. These people do not view THEIR monuments as slabs of rock.

Estonia does desecrate war memorials, that is a simple fact. War memorials are not a memory aid, like a crib sheet in an exam. Еhey are a solemn expression of humanitarian memory and feeling, that involves the monument itself, its position, any fallen ones that are there and the respect civilized people hold for it. Tamper with it, rake up the bodies and you desecrate it. Estonia desecrates War memorials, its as simple as that. but that is the level Estonia is at right now politically.

CC, I believe you are overly critical of Estonia with respect to Soviet era war monuments. True, Estonia, like many other republics of the former USSR, tore down statutes of Lenin and Stalin - these were political edifices, not monuments to war casualties or veterans. Estonia has even let stand that Russian T-34 tank memorial on the road from Narva to Narva Jõesuu. The damage to Russian war memorials that I saw in Estonia was the work of fanatic vandals who sneak out of the woods in the dead of night. But, the Estonian government has not removed these monuments. The Bronze Soldier monument was moved from a busy street intersection to the Tallinn Military Cemetery. The removal was very dignified and the 13 bodies interned there were accorded proper respect. I suggest you visit the Tallinn Military Cemetery in the spring or early summer when the flowers and trees are blooming, it's very serene and beautiful place. If you do visit this cemetery, please pay attention to the row of graves. You will notice that laying side by side are Estonians and Russians who died in the war. No one has desecrated the Russian graves.

Today's Georgian Times has an excellent article titled "Rezo Chkheidze versus Mikhail Saakashvili" regarding the Saakashvili's attempt to rewrite history by erasing Soviet era war memorials.

Kihnu, The fanatics were created by the Estonian establishment, in line with their anti-Russian theme. They have full support from the Estonian government. Your beliefs are your own, but the fact is that there was no emergency requiring the removal of any monument, the removal was a a deliberate political act, it was a desecration of the graves of the soldiers and the monument itself. Estonia does practice political driven desecration, like Georgia. So I suggest you go and think, what it would be like for someone to move a family grave, without dealing with all the stakeholders? I suppose in your present mood you would feel delighted!

CC: "Estonia does practice political driven desecration, like Georgia." Can you please cite me an example where such "desecration" has taken place - any example. The dignified relocation of the Bronze soldier was not "desecration". Estonia is full of memorials to Red Army and none have been desecrated by the Estonian government. I stayed at a seaside resort near Narva last August. The resort is next to a old German manor which was being gutted and rebuilt. Walking around the manor I came across a monument dedicated to the USSR border guards. Don't you think that if the Estonians were so hellbent on desecrating Soviet monuments, they would have definitely done that to this monument? Relax your anti-Estonian diatribes - you will be more relaxed and less agitated.

Kihnu, Try to step away from you Estoniaphilic position, then you will become objective, rather than constructing fairytales. Then you can get an academic historic grounding. Instead of pedalling half truths and make believes. And yes the Bronze soldier was political desecration, just the same as all the other arranged vandalism, and yes the Estonians do erect monuments glorifying the Nazis. The political anti-Russian Estonia is quite simple really, even when you try to present it with a Disney image, but then again their arguments are Mickey Mouse. But from what country do you hail?

Bianca A brilliant post. However, you have made few mistakes in your analysis. First, Hitler's mass murder againt Soviet population has never figured in western history of WII. In Europe, the primary target of WWII is the Jews. Yet, the Europeans knew about the systemic mass murder of the Jews but absolutely did nothing to stop it. Second, Germany used different fighting strategies for the West and the Eastern Fronts. In the Eastern Front, the Slaves were thought of as barbaric. This was not the same in how the German's treated non-Jews in occuped Europe. Hence, German disposition- and with the tacit support of the Western powers helped German troops and civilians who sought to hand themselves up the Western forces rather than to the Soviets. Stalin played key role in support of this narrative because the Soviet did not bring justice to those who ordered the mass murder of millions of Slavic populations and the mass murder of Soviet POWs. So the Nazi nostalgia is an outcome of the earlier narrative. The WII was thus articulated as western victory against Nazism-which had been reduced to Hitler's war against European Jews. Russia will not be isolated. Russia has history in it is side and it’s a grand nation. It can shoulder the history of Eastern Front. It has already been doing it. What I would like to know is how Germany voted. It is amazing how Germany has not been forced to pay reparation to the Soviet Union.

Kihnu, upon reflection I concede that calling monuments “lumps of rock” is too radical. They are special in the meaning that they have for people. What I was trying to express was the contrast between Russia’s hyper concern for monuments on the one hand, and its seeming unconcern for people on the other. Including for those people to whom Soviet monuments are a traumatic symbol of foreign oppression. CountCash, you have submitted several posts since my invitation to you to demonstrate your credibility and consistency, but your only answer to my question has been silence. I asked whether the Red Army’s destruction of memorials in Estonia to the fallen of Estonia’s 1918-20 War of Liberation also “shows they are uncivilized” and “shows what a low level they truly were”. Those were your words which you applied to Estonia, even though that country has destroyed exactly zero Soviet war memorials. Amongst the most moving war memorials I have seen anywhere in the world is a Soviet memorial on the coast of the Estonian island of Saaremaa. There is a picture of a section of it on Kihnu’s website, but the area is too big for the whole of the area to fit into one picture, nor for one picture to do it justice. Why is it still standing, CountCash, absolutely undisturbed in any way? CountCash, if you are wise, you will realize that Soviet/Russian propaganda about Estonia is neither accurate nor well-intentioned, and its loud volume is not a measure of its credibility. Much of it consists of outright falsehoods, and the rest of it takes facts, distorts them, and weaves it into a context that is simply not real. You seem to have accepted the message and spirit of that propaganda without questioning, and you display an unfortunate hostility to Estonia which reality does not warrant.

Kihnu, I appreciate your contribution. It helps getting a bit more positive view of Estonian reality. I would not, however, suggest to anyone to relax. It does not help to be agitated, just to be on one's guard. Rebuilding confidence is a slow process. I share CountCash concerns about the official policies in Estonia. I have a great deal of trust in human beings, and people anywhere are just people, but the policies coming out of Baltic states are worrisome. After more then half a century, the sentiments of Nazi Germany are being revived, and on purpose. And, curiously enough, in so called "New Europe". And that is exactly part of the world that has no identity outside of being fully devoted to the US-inspired politics. From Croatia to Baltics, young people who have no memories of the WWII, as their parents belong to the generation that was born after the war --- are taking up to Nazi revival in numerous ways. If this were but a youthful rebellion, one could just laugh and it will pass. But it is not. For whatever mysterious ways, it is somebody's intention to keep the WWII pot boiling, and in the process, that same someone is adding slightly different ingredients into the brew. These ingredients have a distinctly anti-Russian flavor. From Croatia in the mid-nineties, through Baltics and western portions of Ukraine, and now Georgia --- the same wind is blowing. It is poisoning the young. When the officialdom smirks and does nothing to curb the poison in the air --- something is afoot. Yes, there will always going to be those with conscience who will object to neonazi extravaganza by old and young as a matter of conscience. But when the official wink and the nod results in further encouragement, those will remain very lonely voices. As in the case of Croatia --- wiped out. Why is Lithuania so perturbed by the conc camps being run on its territory? Because it wants a good, clean "democratic" image.